As I recently upgraded to Linux Mint 9 after a long and patient wait from Mint 7 (we won't discuss the debacle that was Ubuntu Karmic Koala here) I installed one of my favorite must-have packages, the AWN dock.  This is a launcher bar that sits at the bottom of the screen and functions like a panel and was inspired by the 'dock' used on Mac.  I was so impressed with the latest version (.4) of AWN that I decided it deserved its very own review!  So head over to my Linux blog to find out what I have to say about Avant-Window-Navigator!

Every time I install a new distro, I always forget to make copies of the libflashplayer.so and libjavaplugin.so files to copy into the /usr/share/flock/plugins folder in order to have Flash player and Java Plugins to work with Flock.  I decided to write up a tutorial for anyone else who needs to know..and hopefully one of these days, Flock will fix that issue..after all, it is a Firefox derivative and if Opera can automatically link to those files, you would think Flock would too. End of rant.  Anyway here is the link to the tutorial..pass it on to anyone in need or throw it on Stumble Upon.

I was very reluctant to try Ubuntu out again for a while after the 9.10 Karmic Koala fiasco but since I was eagerly awaiting Linux Mint 9, I figured I would give it a try.  Turns out I was very very surprised.  Was it good or was it bad??  Find out now at The New Linux User

I was finally able to get a copy of PCLinuxOS 2010 and have now done a review of the KDE version (although I did also check out the Gnome version too) so if you want to read up on what I have to say about the new PCLOS, check it out our sister site, Linux Help for Beginners.  Enjoy!

It's an exciting time to be a Linux user for sure!  New versions of Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Crunch Bang Linux and PCLinuxOS will all be out soon and are eagerly awaited by their many fans.   As soon as there are some final releases available, I will make sure to have those reviews posted on the sister site, so stay tuned.

well the forum is officially gone, due to lack of interest.  I'm afraid that I'm still pretty obscure trafficwise so until things pick up, the forum is toast :(

I should take the time here to apologise to my loyal readers (there must be one of you somewhere) for not being dutiful in posting.  I have been very busy working on artwork.  The better I get at using the GIMP, the more I obsessively create.  I get on obsessive kicks and this one might really last a long time since no piece of art is ever the same (unless you are a forgery artist but I'm nowhere near that good lol) At any rate, I shall endeavor to try harder and in the meantime, if you can't find me writing, you can always find me "painting" at DeviantArt.

I came across an article online about Ubuntu machines being spotted on the set of Doctor Who, a famous BBC show that I personally grew up with.  Apparently, according to Popey, the accompanying show was showing the making of the episodes in question.  The displays of the computers show what seems to be Ubuntu splash screens.  I just zoomed the accompanying pic.  While I can't tell the version, I would recognize an Ubuntu screen anywhere.  I hope Mark Shuttleworth knows how much of an honor it is to be the chosen OS of such a phenomenon as Doctor Who!

The latest version of the Gnome Display Manager blows monkey chunks.  It isn't customisable and to top off that insult, it's completely hideous!  Shame on you guys, fix it!!  One of the main selling points of Linux/related apps is the tweakability factor so let's keep that in mind shall we??

Yes, I know I posted a pretty good review of Linux Mint 8 and I stand by my review of Mint itself.  Clem & Co. have as usual, outdone themselves.  However, I ended up going back to Linux Mint Gloria due to the problems with Ubuntu Karmic, which is what Mint is based directly on.  Version 9.10 of Ubuntu is a huge disappointment, which is having a direct impact on Linux Mint.  Due to the instabilities and crashing issues with Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) I reinstalled Linux Mint 7, which I loved.  However, I do miss the updated features of Linux Mint 8 and hopefully Linux Mint 9 will have none of the same problems.